Improvement in lasts



UNITED STATES ISAAC N. O. SAT/'ILLE, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN LASTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 139,196, dated May 20, 1873; application filed March 3, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC N. G. SAVILLE, of the city and county of Worcester, and Uommonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lasts, used in making boots and shoes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a side view of my improved last, and Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal vertical central section of the same.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention b longs to'make and use the same, I will describe it more in detail.

In the drawing, the parts marked A and B are the two pieces which form the last proper, and one of which pieces is very liable to crack, particularly at the heel, the crack or checks being in a vertical direction, and generally centrally through the last-that is, from heel to toe-or it may be that the fibers have just begun to separate, making several small tissures. This cracking is caused by the natural process of seasoning the Wood. To prevent and remedy these defects in the last a third piece of seasoned wood, 0, is combined with the heel as follows: A hole is bored, or othen erwise formed, transversely, through the heel of the part A of the last, and a piece of highly seasoned wood, 0, the grain of which is in the direction of its length, is driven or pressed into such hole, and is secured in place by glue or other adhesive substance. The practical effect of the insertion of the wooden piece. 0 is to close up any cracks which have been partially formed, while, at the same time, it prevents the last from splitting from the lateral strain, resulting from the action of the jackspindle which enters the hole D, and which a hole is bored throughthe wooded piece 0, as indicated in the drawing.

I estimalethat full one-third of all the lasts are either supplied with metal straps over the heel to prevent cracking, or else have metal Lasts are turned from wood not fully seasoned, and I have found that, by the use of i the wooden plug or piece 0, that the heels of the last season or dry much better after they are turned, and that, too, without showing cracks or injurious checks.

Thus it will be seen that by this method the seams or fissures already formed are permanently closed and all further liability to open prevented, and that, too, at a Very slight expense, while the shape of the last is not at fected injuriously, since the ends of the plug 0 can be finished off even with the other parts of the last and at the same time.

Having described my im proved last for boots and shoes, what I claimtherein as new and of my invention, and desireto secure by Letters Patent as an improved article of manufacture, 1s-

A Wooden last, provided with a wooden piece or plug, 0, inserted and secured in the heel, in the position described, with the spindle-hole D extending into or through it, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

ISAAC N. C. SAVILLE.

Witnesses:

THOS. H. DODGE, E. E. MooRE. 

